Certified Babe
by mickeydubs
Summary: High school AU in which Cosima and Sarah are twins. Cosima realizes she likes the ladies and tries to figure out where to go from there. Based on prompt.


**Prompt: Cosima just realizing that she likes a girl, wondering why it's like that, and tries to ask her out. **

Certified Babe

Cosima stumbled over the threshold of her first period class just as the bell rang. She bowed her head as she rushed past her algebra teacher to take her seat off to the side of the room. The teacher, for her part, raised an unamused eyebrow and regarded her student. "Nice of you to make it on time, Miss Niehaus." Cosima tossed a half wave in her direction as she weaved between desks.

As always, she sat next to her best friend, Ellie, who grinned at her playfully. "Cutting it pretty close, there, Cos. You know the dragon lady eats tardy students for breakfast."

Cosima rolled her eyes with a chuckle and glanced at their teacher, who had her back to the class as she wrote the day's assignments on the white-streaked chalkboard. "Yeah, well, you try sharing a car with Sarah. Traffic was miserable, and she drives for shit." She pulled out her notebook and copied down the problems.

When she turned back to Ellie, she blinked in surprise when her friend's face was mere centimeters from hers. She licked her lips unconsciously. "Uh, El-"

"Okay, don't look, but Dan Nelson is totally checking you out right now." Cosima shivered at the sensation of breath on her cheeks. She started to shift in her seat for a better look, and Ellie flicked her on the forearm.

"Ow!" She flicked Ellie back. "What was that for?"

"I said don't look! Anyway," she continued as if Cosima hadn't just stuck her tongue out at her, "I'm telling you, it's the new hair. Those dreads are freaking killer, okay? You're, like, a total hottie now."

Cosima felt her cheeks flush. "Yeah, well, be that as it may," she said with a jokingly narcissistic tone before slipping seamlessly back into her normal voice, "I'm not into Dan. He's a tool."

Without missing a beat, Ellie acquiesced, "Okay, yeah, that's true." Cosima grinned. Ellie's eyes sparkled with humor. "But, like, look at him! Dan Nelson is a certified babe."

Cosima leaned in even closer to her friend. "El."

Ellie's voice dropped. "Yeah?"

Cosima eyed her with a serious expression. "You're a dope."

Ellie paused, then threw her head back in laughter and shoved Cosima's shoulder. "Yeah, you too."

* * *

Cosima's eyes roamed beyond her control. They were met with long, sandy blonde hair that curled in elegant waves around slender shoulders; skin as smooth as silk and dotted with occasional freckles; long, muscular legs.

Breath was short and hot on her neck. Fingertips slid over her skin. Butterflies gathered and flapped their wings nervously deep in her gut.

Soft, pink lips inched closer to hers. Her hands met the curve of a waist. She opened her mouth to sigh and -

Cosima jerked awake and shot up in bed. Her eyes were wide as the details of her dream began to slip away, but the starring roles and major themes stuck in her mind.

"Oh, shit."

On the other side of the room, Cosima's sister, Sarah, groggily propped herself up on an elbow. "Wassamatter? W'time's it?"

Cosima, still fighting the haziness of sudden consciousness, answered without thinking. Her voice was rather breathless. "I think I might be gay."

Sarah's eyes were squinted with sleep as she slid back down and settled once more into her pillow. "Oh. Right, then. Congrats."

* * *

Cosima flipped another page of her book. She'd been trying to read it for the past twenty minutes without realizing that she hadn't registered a word of it. Her eyes swept over the print systematically, her brain just didn't retain any of what it was getting.

Her mind was... somewhere else.

She sat at one of the tables in the center of the school library. She was alone in the room. School hours were over, and it was rare that students remained in the facilities when they weren't explicitly required to.

She stared off into space and gnawed at her lip. She couldn't shake that dream.

She was from the Bay Area, and she was a science geek on top of that; Cosima knew that people's attractions and romances and loves were not as simple as one-man-one-woman, man-and-man, woman-and-woman. She was 17. She'd long been noticing bodies, both male and female. But she hadn't ever been inclined to pursue any of her girl-crushes thus far.

She'd especially never meant to fall for her best friend.

A tap on her shoulder made her start violently. The sound of Ellie giggling at her reaction made her heart pound, and it suddenly felt as if the library was in dire need of an air conditioner.

Ellie slid into the chair opposite her. "Geez, what's up, jumpy?"

"Um," Cosima searched her mind frantically for something - anything - to say, but she drew a blank, "you know. Just... thinking."

"Uh huh..." Ellie surveyed her, gold-green eyes flashing with curiosity. "And what exactly were we thinking about?" Cosima's ears burned and her palms began to sweat as she attempted to look anywhere but at the girl in front of her. Ellie's lips quirked upward at the reaction. "Or should I ask _who_?"

Cosima peered up at her through her glasses quickly before she cast her eyes back down to the book, still open on the table. She never used to be this nervous around her friend.

Ellie poked her arm. "Well? Come on, spill it. I can always tell when you like someone, just tell me who it is."

"I..." Cosima swallowed thickly.

The sound of the library door slamming echoed through the empty room. Cosima whipped around to mentally thank whoever interrupted, only to be faced with her sister. She turned back to Ellie as relief flushed through her body. "Oh. Look. It's Sarah. My sister, Sarah. She's here, which means it's time for me to head out. Hey, Sarah. Ready to go?"

Cosima stood hastily from her chair, almost knocking into the sister whom she was so anxious to leave with.

Sarah shot her a weird look. "Um, yeah?"

"Cool. Bye, El." Cosima gave her friend a wave and practically dragged her sister out the door.

* * *

As they were driving home, Sarah spent nearly as much time looking at Cosima as she did looking at the road. "So are you going to tell me what that was all about, or...?"

Cosima stiffened beside her. "What... what was about?"

Sarah smirked as she rolled her eyes. "Please, Cos, you cannot play off that shitshow in the library that easily." She glanced to her right when Cosima hunkered down a bit in her seat. "This, uh, wouldn't have anything to do with your little a-ha moment last night, would it?"

Cosima's brows tightened.

Sarah surveyed her twin's reaction and heaved a sigh. With a sharp jerk of the steering wheel, she pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked. Cosima stared determinedly out the window.

"Cos." Her sister didn't turn around. Sarah gripped her shoulder. "Hey, Cosima. Look at me." Cosima slowly turned her head, but kept her eyes on her lap. "Hey. I love you, you know that? I don't give a flying fuck if you want to boink with the ladies, alright? You're my twin sister, and as annoying and geeky as you are, I care about your happiness and shit."

Cosima breathed a watery chuckle and finally met Sarah's eyes. "I just never thought it would be me, you know?"

Sarah regarded her in silence for a minute before a loud, choppy laugh bubbled its way out of her mouth. Cosima's mouth fell open a bit, and Sarah waved her hands around. "I'm sorry. Sorry. Knee-jerk reaction."

"What is so funny?"

Sarah sucked in a deep breath to calm her hysterics. "You didn't think it would be you? Cos, have you _met_ you?"

Cosima's brow scrunched into a frown. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Sarah turned in her seat to face her sister fully. "Look, babes, I hate to break it to you, but you were the gayest straight girl I'd ever met. Now you're just gay. I'm really not all that surprised."

Cosima thought about it and slumped back in her seat. After a big, stuttering breath, Sarah watched as Cosima broke into gaspy, uninhibited laughter. Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to calm her chortling.

Sarah waited until Cosima was quiet again. She nudged her sister with her elbow and smirked. "So... It's Ellie, right?" Her grin widened as Cosima tried to hide her face. She sing-songed, "You _like_ her, don't you? She makes your heart do the good old pitter patter?"

"Oh my god, shut up." Cosima punched her in the shoulder.

Sarah raised her hands in mock defense. "Hey, I'm just asking." She shrugged. "She's a cutie. At least you've got good taste."

Cosima's eyes were suddenly far away and a smitten grin had plastered itself on her face. "Okay, yeah. Ellie. She's just... She's really witty, you know? And she's smart, and _beautiful_. And, when she smiles at you, it's like she puts the sun inside your heart..." She halted for a moment. "Holy shit. That was the corniest thing I've ever said in my life."

Sarah chuckled. "Yeah, it really was. You big cheese ball, you." She shoved Cosima's head to the side - lovingly, of course - and pulled the car back onto the road. "So. What are you going to do, now you're all self-aware?"

Cosima thought to herself. "I guess I'm going to go see a girl."

* * *

She took several deep breaths to calm the racing of her heart as she walked up the stairs to the front porch. The sun was setting behind her. She stepped up to the door and raised her knuckles to knock, then hesitated. She took a step back and willed her pulse to slow. She bounced on the balls of her feet and rapped on the door before she could lose her nerve again.

The door opened, and Cosima's breath caught in her throat. Ellie leaned against the doorframe and regarded her. "Hey, Cos. What brings you to me casa?"

"I, uh, came to talk to you about something."

Ellie's face grew serious. She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her. "What's up? Are you okay?"

Cosima crossed her arms over her chest, an unconscious attempt at defense against the world. "Yeah, I just..."Her eyes flicked up to her best friend's face. Ellie bit her lip. _Shit._ "I wanted..."

Ellie's features gathered in a concerned expression. She took a step closer and placed a hand on Cosima's shoulder. Cosima's body hummed. Her nerves were hypersensitive - she was suddenly very aware of her proximity to Ellie's face.

Ellie leaned even closer, and Cosima felt her own eyes widen behind her glasses. "What is it, Cos?"

Cosima's breath was shallow. "I just..." _Want to kiss you._ "I realized..."

_Fuck it_. She lunged forward and connected their lips.

She tried to pour the words she couldn't make herself say yet into that kiss. _I can't stop thinking about you. I think you're beautiful. I just want to be with you._

Ellie backed away and disconnected their lips with a pop. Her eyes were filled with shock. The only word that worked its way out of her mouth as she covered it with her hand was, "Oh."

Cosima, heart racing faster than ever, shook her head. _Shit. Shit, shit, shit_. "El-"

Ellie wrenched the door back open. "I have... homework."

Cosima's heart fell into her stomach. It was Friday.

* * *

Cosima closed her locker and leaned back against it. She hadn't heard from Ellie all weekend.

Across the hall, a group of girls from her biology class stood in a huddle. She strode over to them with a small wave. "Hey, guys. Have any of you seen Ellie around? I can't find her."

One of the girls turned to her with a snicker. "She's probably with Dan in one of the back stairwells."

Cosima lifted an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?"

Another girl shot her an almost incredulous expression. "Haven't you heard?"

Cosima put her hands on her hips impatiently. "Heard what?"

"This weekend. Ellie and Dan Nelson totally hooked up at a party Saturday night. They're like, a thing now."

Cosima felt as if the world were crashing in on her. It sounded distant when a third girl chimed in. "She's lucky, too. She always said it herself; Dan Nelson - certified babe."


End file.
